Always Second Best
by My.Eternal.Sonnet
Summary: Gabriella thought she was first place in his heart but as always, she's second best. AU. Implied Troypay.


**Title: **Always Second Best  
**Rating: **T, mostly 'cuz of Sharpay  
**Pairing(s): **Implied Troypay  
**Disclaimer: **Own Nothing  
**Plot: **Gabriella thought she was first place in his heart but as always, she's second best. AU.  
**A/N: **I was lurking around the Gossip Girl part of and I read quite a few fictions of Blair always coming second place to Serena, in everything, even Nate's heart. And since I ship Troypay, I decided to base this plot around that; around Gabriella, who is always second best, even in Troy's heart. It's alao based on my friend's situation with her ex-boyfriend.

**Always Second Best  
**_Y'know, even if he did love me before he did her, it doesn't matter...  
'Cuz what matters is now; I'm still second best.  
I've done everything I could; I loved him with all my heart  
but even that isn't enough to keep me first place in his heart...  
- _A dear friend

x-x-x-x

_Second Grade: Mrs. Applegate's Class_

Finally, a school play.

Her first ever school play and her class was performing.

Could things get any better than this?

Gabriella gazed on the board, waiting for everyone else to come in during recess. She liked to come in five minutes early; to avoid a long line. And to avoid everyone gushing over Sharpay. Sure, she loved her best friend but whenever it was just her and Sharpay, Sharpay stood out more. She had more presence, more attitude more everything. Well, not everything, brains, she lacked but she made for in charm.

Sometimes Sharpay wasn't the nicest girl, Gabriella, herself had this title but even that couldn't stop everyone from loving Sharpay. She could be a total witch one minute but her carefree attitude always made everyone forget her malfunction. Gabriella wished she was able to do that. When she cried only Sharpay came to console her and Taylor when she noticed but if Sharpay cried, everyone ran to her, checking if she was okay.

Sharpay had power and she knew it. She was the Queen and Gabriella was the Lady-in-Waiting.

Mrs. Applegate decided to vote on who should play the leads. Gabriella found that totally unfair but Mrs. Applegate said she wanted everyone or the majority of the class to like the leads of the play. Again, Gabriella would come in second place; just like before.

So, every girl stood up in front of the class, backs facing the male students. Mrs. Applegate didn't want them to see if they received votes or not. When the tallying was done, Mrs. Applegate asked all the girls to sit down.

"The lead role shall be Sharpay Evans!" No surprise there. "And her under-study shall be played by Gabriella Montez, who will also play a secondary character." Again, not a huge surprise there.

"Congrats!" Sharpay said to Gabriella, who was sitting beside her. Gabriella thanked her and laid her head down on her desk.

Always second best.

x-x-x-x

_Sixth Grade: End of the Day_

Finally, school ended and she was out of Sharpay's shadows.

But it wasn't like she wanted to go home. All she heard there was her mom bragging about Sharpay's beauty and smile.

"She's so pretty. How is she? Any more school plays? She's an amazing singer," Gabriella mocked, as she shut her locker and walked to the school entrance/exit. "Invite her over for dinner and her brother, Ryan too. Remember that joke Sharpay told us? It always makes me laugh-"

"Talking to yourself?" Troy Bolton asked as she walked side-by-side her. He laughed. "Who are you talking about?"

Gabriella flushed. Thee Troy Bolton heard her mocking her best friend; how lame was that? The most popular guy in school must think she's crazy and must also have a crush on Sharpay. "Um, no- I was just- Well, you see..."

Troy laughed and hushed her. "No need to explain, Gabriella. Everybody talks to themselves, even the completely smart and sane ones," he told her. "But then again there is a thin line between being smart and being totally insane," he chuckled and looked over to Gabriella, who wasn't even looking back or laughing at his joke.

Just like she figured. Troy Bolton not only didn't like her but he thought she was insane. The insane one was Sharpay, not her. She wasn't the blonde girl always cutting class, yelling aloud, laughing all the time and flirting with guys. How could Troy call her that? "I got to go."

"No, wait!" Troy grabbed her arm, forcing her to turn around. "I was joking, Gabriella. I don't think you're insane, not the slighlest. If you were insane, you would be like Sharpay..."

She giggled. "Yeah, I would."

"Hey, since we're starting to get to know each other, wanna hang out at the mall?" Troy asked. "Have some fries, soda?"

Gabriella looked down at the books in her arms. Homework or Troy Bolton?

Homework would have to be second best, for now.

x-x-x-x

_Ninth Grade: Gabriella's Couch_

This was the life.

After her and Troy finally became official, she no longer felt 'second best' because Troy saw her first. She was first in his heart, forever and ever. It didn't matter if Sharpay still got more school plays, still was the most popular girl in school and was the new reigning Queen of East High. That didn't matter. All that mattered was that Troy loved her and loved her first. Troy didn't fall for Sharpay the way all the others guys did; he didn't find her amazing or stunning; he didn't have her first place in his heart.

For once she was first place and Sharpay was second.

And she loved it.

Whenever they would hang out, just the three of them, Troy always looked at Gabriella, always touched Gabriella, always spoke to Gabriella first, not Sharpay. Just like that day. Gabriella was sitting on the ouch, Troy's arm wrapped around her shoulders as Sharpay sat on the loveseat alone. She didn't mind though.

Sharpay didn't want attention, she just had it; Sharpay didn't want guys falling in love with her, they just did. It was the story of her life but she never got tired of it. However, she also didn't mind being second best or even last place. She just didn't mind. Because Sharpay liked to live in the moment of things, she didn't care what people thought about her. If they loved her or hated her, she couldn't careless. Their opinion did not matter to her, what mattered was that she was Sharpay Evans, Party Girl, the ultimate Spur of the Moment.

"I love you," Troy suddenly whispered quiety. Gabriella's eyes went wide and Sharpay shot her head around, facing the both of them.

Gabriella stared at him, mouth open wide and brown eyes popping out. Her heart was beating but she was happy. She saw Troy gulp, his blue eyes flashing elsewhere before meeting her brown ones. She smiled and placed a hand on his pink cheek. "I love you too, Troy."

They kissed.

"Ew, get a freakin' room."

First place felt good.

x-x-x-x

_Eleventh Grade: After School_

This wasn't supposed to happen.

It just wasn't fair!

She couldn't have lost her spot.

Could she?

Gabriella's tears clouded her vision as she ran home as fast as she could. Having a car would be useful at that moment. A river of tears raced down her red swollen cheeks. She hadn't been crying for long but she was crying hard, so hard that her eyes where puffy and her shirt was soaked with tears. Hopefully nobody would be home to see her heartache and to see her second best, once again. She just couldn't lose her first place spot. It was impossible. Sharpay has never lost her first place, she didn't lose her first place spot in Troy's heart because she was always first place to begin with. The time Troy and Gabriella were dating, even though she felt first place, truthfully, she wasn't.

Troy fooled her into thinking she was the one he cared about the most. Maybe she was but maybe she shared first place with Sharpay.

Gabriella threw herself on her bed and thought about all the times it was the three of them. Best friends. Troy, Sharpay and her, Gabriella. She went back to the time Troy first told her that he loved her. Then she remembered, he wasn't staring at her when he said it, his blue eyes flickered off somewhere else.

Sharpay.

Now she thought of all the times she left the room to fetch some drinks or food. They were alone. All the times they asked her if she wanted to hang out and all the times she declined. Did they actually go without her? They must've because how else would they be so close? Well, now she was over them, over everything. Over Sharpay and her popularity, over Troy and is false love. Over _Troyella _because it always had been _Troypay. _Over being 'first place'.

Losing first place is hard.

But harder, when finding out that all along you were always second best.

_x-x-x-x_

_Sorry for any errors. I fixed as many as I saw. I hoped you liked it. Very short and simple. It doesn't really go down into the whole Troypay relationship, It just deals with poor Gabriella, finding out that her love loved another. And finding out she was always second best, no matter what._

_Of course, in the world of Disney, Sharpay's second best. To clear things up, in this one-shot, Troy and Sharpay started sneaking around behind Gabriella's back at the beginning of ninth grade. Troy said 'I love you' to Sharpay, forgetting Gabriella was there so he covered it up as best as he could. _

_There shall be a Sharpay version of this, well, a Troypay version. It goes into depth of their sin. _

_-Alexis (Tired of using Aj) _


End file.
